Why Australia?
What documents are needed to be eligible to enter Australia?
What is the difference between permanent residence and Citizenship?
What is a 'Points Test' and why do I need to pass?
What are the basic requirements for Skilled Migration to Australia?
What is the Skilled Occupation List (SOL)?
Must I have my skills assessed?
Do I need to have my English language ability tested?
Who can sponsor my Skilled Migration application?
Can I include my partner in my application if we are not married?
Will I have to undergo a medical examination?
I have a current health condition...will I meet health criteria?
Why are character checks required to enter/stay in Australia?
How long will the granting of my visa take?
When my visa is granted, how long do I have to enter Australia?
I am over 45 years old. How can I qualify for migration to Australia?
How can my family member live permanently in Australia?
Who can sponsor a family member from overseas?
Which family members can I sponsor to live permanently in Australia?
Will I need to provide financial assistance if I sponsor my family member?
How do I become an Australian Citizen?
Am I entitled to any government benefits immediately upon arrival in Australia?
Can the immigration authorities refuse my application?
Why should I get to Visa & Immigration Services Australia to help with my application?
Back To Top Why Australia?
There are many reasons, both personal
and general, that can influence
someone's decision to immigrate
to a new country.
It is a general understanding
that an immigrant always strives
for a better 'quality of life'.
Australia has always stood out
to immigrants due to it’s low
unemployment rate and the fact
that the prospects are promising
in this enormous country.
Australia also offers an open
society in which people
communicate, both with each
other and with newcomers. Many
immigrants wish to experience
the open spaces, climate and
vast opportunities that
Australia offers. Other factors
that sway people to migrate to
Australia is the democracy,
safety and the feeling of
freedom. Australia is worth the
challenge of migration!
Back To Top What documents are needed to be eligible to enter Australia?
Anyone who arrives without a
visa, authority for re-entry or
an Australian or New Zealand
passport will be refused entry
to Australia or delayed until
their documentation and reasons
to enter Australia have been
checked.
Australian Citizens, who have
automatic right of entry to
Australia, need only present a
current Australian passport on
arrival. Australian Citizens,
who hold dual or multiple
nationalities, must use an
Australian passport to enter or
leave Australia, even if they
use a foreign passport overseas.
New Zealand Citizens, travelling
on New Zealand passports,
receive electronic visas on
arrival, entitling them to stay
in Australia.
All other non-Citizens,
including people who migrated
and now live in Australia
permanently, must hold a valid
visa or authority for re-entry
to Australia. New migrants are
issued with a multiple re-entry
visa when their immigration to
Australia is approved. These
visas last up to five years from
the date of grant. After the
initial visa has expired, if the
holder wishes to continue to
travel to and from Australia as
a permanent resident, they must
obtain a Resident Return Visa
(RRV).
The Commonwealth Government of
Australia has the right to
decide who can enter and stay on
its territory.
Back To Top What is the difference between permanent residence and Citizenship?
If your application to migrate
to Australia is successful, you
will be granted permanent
residence in Australia. As a
permanent resident, you will
enjoy most of the same rights as
an Australian Citizen. However,
as a permanent resident you will
be required to renew your visa
every 5 years if you plan to
travel overseas.
To qualify for Citizenship, you
must have lived in Australia as
a permanent resident for two
years out of the previous five
years. If you decide to proceed
with becoming an Australian
Citizen, Australian laws do not
require you to surrender your
current Citizenship, however
depending on the laws of your
originating country, you may be
required to surrender that
Citizenship.
As an Australian Citizen, the
added benefits allotted to you
is that you will be able to:
- vote in elections;
- stand for election in
Federal, State and Local
Governments;
- apply for certain government
positions;
- apply for an Australian
passport and enter Australia
without a visa;
- serve in Australia's armed
forces;
- register your children as
Australian Citizens even if
they are born overseas;
- seek protection from
Australian diplomatic or
consular offices;
- not be subject to removal or
deportation from Australia.
Back To Top What is a 'Points Test' and why do I need to pass?
A number of Australian Skilled
and Business visa categories are
points tested. Points are gained
pursuant to your personal and
professional abilities and it is
a requirement that you meet the
pass mark in order to proceed
with your application.
Depending under which category
you are applying, points are
granted for:
- Skill,
- Age,
- English language ability,
- Investment ability,
- Business or specific work
experience,
- Occupation in demand (and
job offer),
- Australian qualifications,
- Your spouse's skills,
- Foreign language skills or
Australian work experience
or capital to invest in
Australia, and
- Family sponsorship.
Please be aware that passing the
points test is only one part of
the visa process and does not
guarantee the approval of any
visa.
Back To Top What are the basic requirements for Skilled Migration to Australia?
Basic Requirements
1.You must be under the age of 45 years when you
apply.
2.You must pass a health
assessment (if required).
3. You must pass a character
assessment.
4.You must have sufficient ability
in the English language for working
in Australia. This is known as Vocational English.
5. You must have university or
trade qualifications and your
skills must have been assessed
by the relevant assessing authority
as suitable for your nominated
occupation.
6. You must nominate a skilled
occupation (which is on Skilled Occupation
List (SOL))
which fits your skills and
qualifications.
7. Recent Work Experience: Generally you need
to show that you have worked in
a skilled occupation for a set
period of time. The amount of
relevant work experience you
must have is dependent on the occupation that you
nominate. If you are an
international student you may
qualify for a waiver of this
requirement.
Back To Top What is the Skilled Occupation List (SOL)?
The Skilled Occupations List
(SOL) is determined by the
Department of Immigration
(DIMIA) to reflect the skill
shortages in Australia. When you
apply for skilled migration, you
must nominate a skilled
occupation which suits your
qualifications and experience.
Your occupation must be on the
Skilled Occupations List (SOL)
at the time you apply.
Back To Top Must I have my skills assessed?
Yes, at the time you apply you
must obtain a skills assessment
from the assessing authority
responsible for your nominated
occupation, in addition to
having an occupation which is on
the Skilled Occupations List
(SOL).
Back To Top Do I need to have my English language ability tested?
You must have sufficient ability
in the English language for
working in Australia. This is
known as 'Vocational English'. A
higher level of English is
required for certain occupations
where English ability forms part
of the skills assessment. In
some visa categories you may be
eligible with a lower level of
English.
The minimum level required for
skilled migration is Vocational
English. Being born in an
English-speaking country, or
even obtaining an Australian
qualification does not guarantee
that you have Vocational
English.
Before you apply, it is
recommended that you obtain
proof of your English language
ability by one of the following
methods:
- provide evidence that you
are a native English
speaker; or
- provide evidence that you
have undertaken
post-secondary studies at an
institution where the medium
of instruction was English
- undertake an International
English Language Testing
System (IELTS) test.
Back To Top Who can sponsor my Skilled Migration application?
In some cases, applications for
skilled migration may have a
greater chance of success if
you, or your spouse, have a
close relative who is an
Australian Citizen or permanent
resident who is willing to
sponsor you.
Your relative must be:
- a non-dependent child -
includes natural, adopted or
stepchildren; or
- a parent; or
- a brother or sister -
includes adoptive and step
brothers and sisters; or
- an aunt or uncle - includes
adoptive and step aunts or
uncles; or
- a first cousin (if applying
under a 'Designated Area'
sponsored category); or
- a grandparent (if applying
under a 'Designated Area'
sponsored category);
- living in Australia;
- an Australian Citizen or
permanent resident;
- living in a designated area
of Australia (if applying
under a 'Designated Area'
sponsored category);
- prepared to sponsor your
application; and
- willing to provide support
for your first 2 years in
Australia, including
accommodation and financial
assistance as required.
You are still able to apply as
an 'Independent' even if you
have a relative in Australia who
is willing to sponsor you, as
long as you meet these
requirements. Applying as an
'Independent' may reduce
processing time and it
alleviates the need for a
relative to provide financial
support.
Back To Top Can I include my partner in my application if we are not married?
For migration purposes your
'spouse' is defined as a person
to whom you are legally married
or with whom you have a defacto
(common law) relationship. As a
defacto couple, you must be of
opposite sexes and have lived
together for at least 12 months
prior to your application. You
must be able to prove that you
have a genuine relationship and
that you are committed to a
shared life together.
Upon the meeting of the above
criteria a spouse may be
included on your application.
Back To Top Will I have to undergo a medical examination?
Yes. All applicants for
permanent visas are required to
undergo health examinations. You
and all dependent family members
must meet strict health
standards designed to protect
Australia from high health risks
and costs. All members of your
immediate family, including
dependent family members who do
not intend to migrate, must meet
the health requirement. If you
cannot meet the health
requirement, the visa
application will be refused
under the Migration Regulations,
and refusal of one family member
will mean the whole family unit
will not be able to proceed.
It is recommended that you do
not complete your health
examinations before lodging your
visa application if you are
applying from outside Australia.
Processing of the entire
application can be a lengthy
process, and health examinations
taken too early may become
invalid before a final decision
is made. You will be informed by
staff processing your visa
application when to arrange your
medical examination.
If you are applying in
Australia, you may complete
health examinations before
lodging your visa application,
but be aware that the results
have limited validity.
Back To Top I have a current health condition...will I meet health criteria?
No health condition, with the
exception of tuberculosis,
automatically precludes the
issue of a visa. Apart from
tuberculosis, every condition
identified in the course of the
examinations, or through the
questions you are asked in your
application, will be assessed on
an individual basis for possible
impact on the Australian
community. Such assessment
includes the cost of treatment
or support that would be
attracted by that condition. The
decision on whether a condition
means an applicant does or does
not meet the criteria comes from
the Medical Officer of the
Commonwealth.
Back To Top Why are character checks required to enter/stay in Australia?
Section 501 of the Migration Act
1958 includes a character test
to ensure that visa applicants,
people seeking to migrate to
Australia and visa holders are
of acceptable character. All
visa applicants are to prove to
the Australian Government that
they are of good character.
This Act also allows the powers
to either refuse or cancel visas
when issues of character arise.
Some examples of when a person
will fail the character test
include:
- when the person has a
substantial criminal record,
- sentenced to a term of
imprisonment for 12
months or more, or
- sentenced to either
death or life
imprisonment, or
- sentenced to two or more
terms of imprisonment
(whether on one or more
occasions), where the
total of those terms is
two years or more, or
- acquitted of an offence
on the grounds of either
unsoundness of mind or
insanity and, as a
result, the person has
been detained in a
facility or institution;
- when the person either has,
or has had, an association
with an individual, group or
organisation suspected of
having been, or being,
involved in criminal
conduct,
- when there is a significant
risk that the person will
engage in criminal conduct
in Australia, harass,
molest, intimidate or stalk
another person in Australia,
vilify a segment of the
Australian community, or
incite discord in the
Australian community or in a
segment of that community,
- when, having regard to the
person's past and present
criminal conduct, the person
is found not to be of good
character, and
- when having regard to the
person's past and present
general conduct, the person
is found to be not of good
character.
A person whose visa is cancelled
on the grounds of either a
substantial criminal record, or
past and present criminal
conduct, that person is then
permanently excluded from
Australia.
Back To Top How long will the granting of my visa take?
There is no set or simple answer
to this question. All visa’s
differ in processing time. An
incomplete or wrongly filed
application, or problems with
the medical examinations, will
delay the processing. Other
factors, like the number of visa
applications received at the
embassy also have to be taken
into account. As a general idea
a business visa can take 2 to 3
months, a skilled independent
visa can take up to a year or
longer.
Back To Top When my visa is granted, how long do I have to enter Australia?
Upon notification of a
successful visa application, you
will receive a date by which you should make
entry into Australia (this will
vary from person to person, visa to
visa). The time allocated for
entry will allow you plenty of
time to organise your affairs.
However, if you are unable to
meet this date, you can request
an extension from Department of
Immigration (DIMIA) explaining
the reasons.
Back To Top I am over 45 years old. How can I qualify for migration to Australia?
If you are aged over 45, you
cannot contribute points for
skills, age and work experience
for skilled migration. You could
consider one of the following
options:
- Your spouse can be the main
applicant if they are under
45. If you have Australian
relatives, you can still
contribute the 15 points if
these relatives sponsor you.
- If you have an overall
successful career in
business, you can look at
your eligibility for
business migration to
Australia.
- There is no age limit for
temporary residence through
business sponsorship and you
can qualify for permanent
residence through business
sponsorship if you can show
that a person of your level
of skill and experience who
is under 45 is not easy to
find.
- If you have children living
in Australia, they can
sponsor you for a parent
visa
- If you have an Australian
spouse, you can be sponsored
for partner migration.
- There are a number of other
visas which do not have age
restrictions on them
Back To Top How can my family member live permanently in Australia?
The Family Stream of Australia's
Migration Program enables the
reunion of immediate family
members such as:
Family Stream migrants are
selected on the basis of their
family relationship with their
sponsor in Australia. There is
no test for skills or language
ability as for Skilled Stream
migrants, however their sponsor
must reside permanently in
Australia.
Back To Top Who can sponsor a family member from overseas?
The sponsor must be an
Australian Citizen, Australian
permanent resident or eligible
New Zealand Citizen and would
usually be 18 years of age or
older.
- Partner applicants must be
sponsored by their partner
(or a parent or guardian of
their fiancé(e) if their
fiancé(e) is under 18);
- Child applicants must be
sponsored by a parent,
relative or guardian;
- Parent applicants must be
sponsored by their child
(natural, adopted or
stepchild); and
- Other Family applicants must
be sponsored by a relative.
Note that the sponsors of
Parent, Other Family and certain
Child applicants must be usually
resident in Australia.
Back To Top Which family members can I sponsor to live permanently in Australia?
There are four main categories
in the Family Stream under which
a family member may be sponsored
to live permanently in
Australia.
- Partner
- Spouse: the husband,
wife or de facto partner
of the Australian
sponsor.
- Prospective Marriage: a
fiancé(e) overseas who
plans to marry their
Australian sponsor in
Australia.
- Interdependent Partner:
a person in an
interdependent
relationship with an
Australian partner
involving a mutual
commitment to a shared
life together.
- Child
- Dependent child: the
natural, adopted or
stepchild of the
Australian sponsor.
- Adopted child: a child
adopted overseas.
- Orphan relative: an
unmarried child under 18
who cannot be cared for
by either parent.
- Parent
- A person who meets the
balance of family test
and is sponsored by
their child, who is an
Australian Citizen,
Australian permanent
resident or eligible New
Zealand Citizen. Note,
however, that parents
can only be granted a
visa when applying
within Australia if they
are aged 65 years and
over.
- Other Family
- Aged Dependent Relative:
single, widowed,
divorced or formally
separated person who is
dependent on an
Australian relative.
- Remaining Relative: a
person who has no close
family ties outside
Australia and is the
brother, sister, child
or step equivalent of an
Australian Citizen,
Australian permanent
resident or eligible New
Zealand Citizen.
- Carer: a person willing
and able to give
substantial, continuing
assistance to an
Australian relative or
member of their family
who has a medical
condition that impairs
their ability to attend
to the practical aspects
of daily life. The need
for assistance must be
likely to continue for
at least two years.
Back To Top Will I need to provide financial assistance if I sponsor my family member?
The sponsor of a family member
applying for a permanent visa
for Australia (except for a
permanent humanitarian visa)
undertakes to provide support
for their first two years in
Australia, such support includes
accommodation and financial
assistance as required.
Sponsorship of family members
may also require an approved
Assurance of Support (AOS). An
AOS is a commitment to provide
financial support to the person
applying to migrate. This
Assurance of Support is also a
legal commitment by a person to
repay the Australian Government
any recoverable social security
payments made to those covered
by the assurance.
The AOS is in force for two
years, from the date of the
assuree's arrival in Australia
or grant of a relevant visa,
whichever happens later. It
covers the principal applicant
and any family members included
in the application.
Back To Top How do I become an Australian Citizen?
You may be eligible for grant of
Australian Citizenship if you:
- have been present in
Australia as a permanent
resident for a total of at
least two years in the last
five, and a total of at
least twelve months in the
last two years;
- are able to speak and
understand basic English;
- understand the privileges
and responsibilities of
Australian Citizenship;
- are of good character; and
- intend to reside in
Australia or maintain a
close and continuing
association with Australia.
Back To Top Am I entitled to any government benefits immediately upon arrival in Australia?
NO. Strict rules for newly
landed migrants mean that it is
not possible to claim government
benefits for the first 2 years
after entering the country. This
restriction applies to
unemployment benefits, but not
family benefits, maternity
allowances or the state
health-care insurance, Medicare,
all of which are available upon
arrival. However, if you
encounter unexpected financial
difficulties and there are
genuine grounds for hardship, an
application can be made and an
exception is sometimes granted
on merit.
Back To Top Can the immigration authorities refuse my application?
YES, a large number of
applicants are unaware how
strictly the immigration
regulations are enforced in
Australia. Unfortunately
they are sometimes unnecessarily
refusals or delays due to
technical errors on the
application that was submitted
or by the incorrect
documentation forwarded in
support of the application. So
it is extremely wise and prudent
to seek the professional
guidance and independent advice
of a migration agent BEFORE
lodging an application for
residence. Agents exist to help
you find the best way through
the immigration maze and are
highly effective in doing so.
Back To Top Why should I get to Visa & Immigration Services Australia to help with my application?
We are the best choice to act on
your behalf due to the following
reasons:
- Experienced legal and
migration practitioners with
our client’s interests at
heart;
- Results driven;
- Cost effective;
- Quality advice;
- Technologically aware which
creates fast and accurate
case assessments, this also
ensures fewer delays in
preparing and lodging your
application;
- Installment plans: easy
installment schemes are
provided for the payment of
consultation and processing
charges. We also accept
credit cards.
